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Are People Inequality Averse Or Just Risk Averse?

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Author Info
Carlsson, Fredrik () (Department of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law, Göteborg University)
Daruvala, Dinky () (Department of Economics)
Johansson-Stenman, Olof (Department of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law, Göteborg University)

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Abstract

Individuals’ preferences for risk and inequality are measured through experimental choices between hypothetical societies and lotteries. The median relative risk aversion, which is often seen to reflect social inequality aversion, is between 2 and 3. We also estimate the individual inequality aversion, reflecting individuals’ willingness to pay for living in a more equal society. Left-wing voters and women are both more risk- and inequality averse than others. The model allows for non-monotonic SWFs, implying that welfare may decrease with an individual’s income at high income levels. This is illustrated in simulations based on the empirical results.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Göteborg University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers in Economics with number 43.

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Length: 29 pages
Date of creation: 23 May 2001
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Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0043

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Postal: Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University Box 640, SE 405 30 GÖTEBORG, Sweden
Phone: 031-773 10 00
Web page: http://www.handels.gu.se/econ/
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Related research
Keywords: inequality aversion; risk aversion; welfare theory;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Amiel, Yoram & Creedy, John & Hurn, Stan, 1999. " Measuring Attitudes towards Inequality," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 101(1), pages 83-96, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  3. James Andreoni & Lise Vesterlund, 2001. "Which Is The Fair Sex? Gender Differences In Altruism," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 116(1), pages 293-312, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Amiel, Yoram & Cowell, Frank A., 1992. "Measurement of income inequality : Experimental test by questionnaire," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 3-26, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
  7. Roland Bénabou & Efe A. Ok, 2001. "Social Mobility And The Demand For Redistribution: The Poum Hypothesis," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 116(2), pages 447-487, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Ernst Fehr & Klaus M. Schmidt, 1999. "A Theory Of Fairness, Competition, And Cooperation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 114(3), pages 817-868, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Johansson-Stenman, Olof & Carlsson, Fredrik & Daruvala, Dinky, 2001. "Measuring Hypothetical Grandparents Preferences For Equality And Relative Standings," Working Papers in Economics 42, Göteborg University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Daruvala, Dinky, 2006. "Gender, Risk and Stereotypes," Working Papers in Economics 211, Göteborg University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Hörisch, Hannah, 2007. "Is the veil of ignorance only a concept about risk? An experiment," Discussion Papers in Economics 1362, University of Munich, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Pérez Truglia, Ricardo Nicolás, 2007. "Can a rise in income inequality improve welfare?," MPRA Paper 4700, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 22 Dec 2007. [Downloadable!]
  4. Dinky Daruvala, 2007. "Gender, risk and stereotypes," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 265-283, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Atkinson, Giles D. & Dietz, Simon & Helgeson, Jennifer & Hepburn, Cameron & Sælen, Håkon, 2009. "Siblings, not triplets: social preferences for risk, inequality and time in discounting climate change," Economics Discussion Papers 2009-14, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Hakon Saelen & Giles Atkinson & Simon Dietz & Jennifer Helgeson & Cameron Hepburn, 2008. "Risk,inequality and time in the welfare economics of climate change: is the workhorse model underspecified?," Economics Series Working Papers 400, University of Oxford, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  7. Hong, Kesseley & Bohnet, Iris, 2004. "Status and Distrust: The Relevance of Inequality and Betrayal Aversion," Working Paper Series rwp04-041, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. [Downloadable!]
  8. Hannah Hörisch, 2008. "Is the veil of ignorance only a concept about risk? An experiment," Discussion Papers 230, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
  9. Bonein, Aurélie & Serra, Daniel, 2006. "L'influence de la connaissance du genre du partenaire dans les relations de confiance et de réciprocité: une étude expérimentale
    [Gender bias in trustworthiness]    ," MPRA Paper 2523, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Nebiyou Tilahun & David Levinson, 2006. "Selfishness and Altruism in the Distribution of Travel Time and Income," Working Papers 000023, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group. [Downloadable!]
  11. Tol, Richard S. J., 2008. "Measuring International Inequity Aversion," Papers WP254, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). [Downloadable!]
  12. Jean-Robert Tyran & Rupert Sausgruber, 2002. "A Little Fairness may Induce a Lot of Redistribution in Democracy," University of St. Gallen Department of Economics working paper series 2002 2002-30, Department of Economics, University of St. Gallen. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Jukka Pirttilä & Roope Uusitalo, 2007. "Leaky Bucket in the Real World: Estimating Inequality Aversion Using Survey Data," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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